Still Here
by Lynnie Vicious
Summary: Nobody really cared about Kiku, except for her best friend Ryoma. So, why then, have the rest of the regulars begun paying her so much attention? (Eventual OC/? romance).
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Prince of Tennis.

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The sun was just barely beginning to rise, spilling into the room through the large, uncovered window and playing a beautiful scene on the blank white walls. Kiku hardly noticed the beautiful illumination of her bedroom, too busy staring over her shoulder into the mirror while trying to clean the burn on her shoulder blade. The angle was awkward and no matter which way she twisted her slightly out of proportioned arms she couldn't reach the cotton ball in her hand to the entirety of the burn. Sadly this meant that the circular burn, about an inch in diameter, would scar. Another to add to her less than attractive collection.

Kiku refused to be too distraught; the other two had been reachable and she had cleaned them and applied a liberal amount of aloe vera. Sadly it would be too difficult and timely to properly address any of the slightly more than superficial burns, but at least she could try to prevent too much pain. She very carefully applied a square bandage over the triangle of soon to be scars and taped it in place before going about her usual morning ritual of preparing for school.

The uniform for her junior high was a sailor style in green and white with a pink bow, which Kiku layered over a white camisole. The sleeves were long enough to cover the array of burn marks on her arms but the skirt fell slightly short of hiding the scars on her thighs. Luckily they were difficult to see unless one got very close and Kiku never let anyone so close.

No one except for Ryoma, her closest and only friend. She could hear the sound of tiny pebbles hitting her window and bouncing off, alerting her of his presence in a fashion that would hopefully go unnoticed by her still heavily intoxicated father. Kiku walked to the window, pulling her mass of wavy, sandy brown hair over one shoulder and braiding it loosely while gesturing for Ryoma to wait a few more minutes. She was running late, having spent too much time attempting to clean the fresh burns on her shoulder.

She turned away from the window and sighed softly, eyes falling shut as she finished her braid and tied it off with a ponytail. Ryoma would know immediately that something had happened; somehow he always knew. Kiku hated explaining the appearance of new injuries to him, knowing how deeply her abuse upset him.

They hadn't known each other for terribly long. It started when he'd needed directions to the grocery store and she happened to be in his way. After a mass of stuttering, nervously looking anywhere but at him, and gesturing down the road he'd muttered something under his breath and walked off. Kiku had watched him go for several seconds before walking after him and, even more nervously, informing him he was walking in the opposite direction of where she'd told him to go. The catalyst for their friendship had been her getting in a huff over his refusal to walk in the correct direction without her tugging him along by his sleeve. He later informed her that he liked the way she didn't swoon over him.

Ryoma weaseled his way into her life slowly but surely over the summer, unwinding her tightly coiled secrets and holding them tautly exposed. Kiku hated him at first. He stalked her to and from the park where she spent most of her time, dragged her to his home and to tennis matches he participated in and always, _always _won. But after a while she stopped resenting him. While not a huge fan of people, Ryoma made an exception for her. For some reason, he liked her. Enjoyed her presence. And that was something incredibly new for Kiku. So after a time, she stopped ignoring him when he sat next to her at the park. She didn't whine when he brought her to his house as long as he let her help him with his chores. She held his hand and walked in his shadow when he brought her to tennis matches instead of making him drag her along by the sleeve of her jacket.

She realized soon after accepting his friendship that Ryoma made her feel safe and she coveted that kind of feeling, since it wasn't something she often experienced. He wasn't huge, but he was big enough to hide her when she cowered behind him. He let her hold his hand whenever she wanted even though he grumbled and complained. He didn't let anyone talk down to her, he protected her from bullies.

Another pebble hit her window and drew Kiku back into the present, where she still needed to grab her backpack and meet Ryoma outside. She stuffed her books and notebooks into her bag before quietly slipping out of her room and creeping down the stairs. Making it silently out of her house was a skill she had acquired at a young age, when she realized that waking her father was a mistake.

Ryoma met her at the front door, holding out a hand to help her off the step down from the door to the sidewalk, "You're late."

"Sorry Ryo-kun," She murmured, allowing him to take her backpack and put it over his shoulder with his tennis bag.

"We'll be on time," He shrugged carelessly and let her take his hand before beginning the walk to their junior high school.

As per usual, Kiku walked about half a step behind him in his shadow. The closer they got to the school, the more she shrunk into herself. Ryoma could feel it, the way she crept closer to his back and her grip on his hand tightened. He'd realized early on that going to school scared her almost as much as going home. Other students weren't necessarily mean to her, but they weren't nice. They considered her too smart; teachers praised her relentlessly, she never got a bad grade, and everyone in her classes ended up compared to her. The attention bred resentment in her peers. Often times they didn't treat her so much as a person as a tool, a convenient study method.

They stopped just inside the gates of the school, Kiku finally coming to stand beside Ryoma instead of behind him. Both regarded the building from a moment before she tugged her hand away and retrieved her bag from his shoulder. From this point, Ryoma went to morning practice while Kiku went to the art club meeting. Both were hesitant to leave each other's side; Kiku hated giving up the safety Ryoma offered while Ryoma loathed to stop offering that safety.

With a sigh, Kiku habitually tugged his sleeve in goodbye before making her way into the school, shoulders curled and head down. There was slight activity within the halls, others arriving early for morning club activities. As she headed to the art room she heard talks of tests coming up for the upperclassmen and forced herself not to groan. When there were lots of tests, lots of people came to Kiku demanding private tutoring sessions. It caused her excessive amounts of stress and unease, not knowing when or if she was going to be accosted in the halls or during her club. Especially considering she only tutored because it was school program the teachers asked her to participate in and she only took on students they asked her to (with the exception of tutoring Ryoma occasionally). Currently, all of the after school tutoring slots she offered were taken.

She was meant to take on a new tutoree this afternoon once classes were finished. Momoshiro Takeshi would be taking up her last available slot, Mondays after school. It meant she would be forced to follow Ryoma to the tennis courts after school on those days, since that was where the upperclassmen had requested the sessions take place. Usually they only took place in the library, but the tennis regulars got special privileges.

In the art room, several other people had already settled in. Kiku found a place near the windows, so she could watch Ryoma practice while she drew. Although she liked drawing well enough, Kiku had only joined the art club because it was one of the largest clubs in school. Large meant anonymity for Kiku and even if she didn't have a scrap of artistic ability she likely would've chosen to join anyway.

The majority of the meeting went off without much hassle. Kiku was asked to hand over one of her drawings for a collage the club was planning to put up in the hall and she gave up one of her mediocre landscapes to avoid attention. She was asked by only two people for studying help which she stutteringly denied, offering masses of apologies and instructions on how to request a proper tutor. Both had stalked off grumbling in annoyance about tests and grades and that little brat who couldn't help out a bit. By the time classes were getting ready to start and she was packing up her supplies, Ryoma had materialized next to her table.

"Hurry up," He grumbled lowly, ignoring the adoring stares aimed at him from multiple directions.

Kiku hummed slightly in response and carefully put her bag over only one shoulder, avoiding pressure on her injury, "Hai, Ryo-kun."

When she turned her attention to him, his keen olive eyes were locked on her shoulder. She tried not to sigh as she reached out and took his hand, tugging him around. He wouldn't look at her. It happened regularly, whenever he noticed or deduced some new injury on her person. Kiku pulled him all the way to the door of her classroom before letting go and taking his hand instead of his sleeve.

"Lunch time, Ryo-kun," She murmured, squeezing his hand twice before entering the room without looking back.

She knew he would stand there for several minutes before going to his own class, watching her silently from the doorway. He told her it was because he was making sure no one bothered her before class started but Kiku was sure he was surveying her for other injuries. He watched for a limp or a wince or a bandage beneath her clothes. Tonight, he would somehow talk her into staying at his house instead of going home. His parents would condone it so long as she let Rinko treat whatever was hurt while badgering the young girl to let them tell the school counselor or the police. Then they would find reasons to keep her at their house for the next few nights. Kiku wouldn't end up sleeping in her own home until at least Thursday. Her father wouldn't notice or care.

The rest of her morning passed quickly. Most of her classes were at a level too low for Kiku's intellect so she only followed along absently while surreptitiously reading senior level textbooks. When the bell rang for lunch, she replaced her things into her bag and waited for Ryoma to stroll into the room before standing up. Before she could put her backpack over her shoulder, he'd taken it and put it over his own before grabbing her hand and pulling her along behind him.

Despite the fact it was lunch time, neither of them actually intended to eat. Instead they would go up to the roof, where Ryoma would nap lazily in the sun while Kiku either read a book or napped with him. On this day, she would likely nap alongside him due to her late night and early morning.

"I need help in Math," he stated as they settled on the roof, Kiku pulling out her ponytail holder and releasing her thick, wavy hair down her back while Ryoma placed their bags under the bench and laid down on it.

"Kiku tutors after school today," she replied, sitting on the ground with her back against the bench.

She could feel Ryoma's arm brush against the back of her head as he got comfortable, his fingers coming to rest lightly against her shoulder, "Come home with me after practice and tutoring. I'll fail if you don't help me."

Kiku had been waiting for it and instead of arguing she simply nodded, "Hai, Ryo-kun, I'll come to your house after school."

"Mom's gonna want you to stay for dinner."

"If I can help you do the dishes afterwards."

"It'll be late by the time we're done, you'll just stay over tonight."

"Hai, Ryo-kun."

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A/N: Ahh, and so we have yet another rewrite. I'm sure y'all hate me at the moment and I apologize but _oh my god _you guys I was reading through the original, trying to think up the next chapter on a whim, and was physically pained by what I had written. Talk about painful reminders of past mistakes. Which leads us to now. This rewrite should feature plenty of character growth, realism and overall plot improvement (mostly because I actually have a plot for this one). I still want y'alls input on pairings though; the most popular from the original were Kiku/Ryoma and Kiku/Kaido. Just let me know. Also let me know what you think of this new one. How are we feeling on the Kiku/Ryoma interaction? _Feedback, my friends._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the Prince of Tennis anime or manga.

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By the time the end of the day rolled around, Kiku was feeling rather exhausted. The nap she had indulged in during lunch had been less than effective and she found herself yawning several times during her final period. Sadly she no longer had Monday afternoons free and didn't have the option to nap in the library until Ryoma finished with tennis practice. Instead she would walk with him to the courts where she was instructed to meet sophomore Momoshiro Takeshi to tutor him in history.

As per usual Kiku waited at her desk until Ryoma stepped in and took her bag, both ignoring the jealous and adoring glares of their female classmates. Ryoma was sought after so hard he had his own fan club within the school and it wasn't even freshmen only. Most of the time the girls, and occasional guy, who made up the group kept a clear distance from Kiku, having learned from experience that being mean to her made Ryoma extremely unhappy, but occasionally their glares were replaced with paper projectiles or subtly outstretched legs meant to trip her. Usually though they settled for making her uncomfortable whenever she held his hand or he carried her books or backpack.

"Kiku needs to go to the tennis courts, Ryo-kun," She whispered, creeping into his shadow as he led her into the hallway, "Tutoring."

"Mm," Ryoma hummed slightly, already knowing she was meant to tutor Momo; Tezuka had called the sophomore out on his grades during practice on Friday.

Kiku wanted to say more, to ask him about the upperclassmen or ask him whether or not she would get a good reception at the courts, but she was too nervous. She had already closed up significantly more than usual, forehead almost pressing against his back with how close she walked to his back and the way she bent her head and curled her shoulders in. Ryoma in turn had clasped her hand right against the small of his back, keeping her close through her fear. The way she'd shrunk into herself meant that she was completely invisible when someone looked at Ryoma head on.

"Tezuka-buchou, Kiku-chan is here to tutor Momo-senpai," He informed the captain once they'd arrived at the courts, unintentionally keeping the small girl hidden behind his back.

Tezuka noticed the way his arm was bent and the foreign bag on his shoulder though, leading him to crane his neck slightly to look over the freshman's shoulder. Sure enough, the tiny tag along he'd noticed Ryoma toting along all year was just about pressed against his back. Ryoma, noticing the way the captain was glancing behind him, stepped to the side leaving Kiku exposed to his left. He could just barely hear the distressed sound she made as Tezuka's piercing eyes landed on her. For a moment they simply stared at each other, Tezuka silently observing while Kiku attempted to reign in a panic attack.

"Momoshiro," He called, turning away from her abruptly to look at the tennis courts, "You're not supposed to be participating in club activities until you get your grades up. Get off the court, your tutor is here."

The sophomore grumbled slightly in embarrassment and frustration, apologizing to the guy he'd been warming up with before exiting the courts. Kiku hardly paid the purple eyed upperclassmen any attention, simply relieved Tezuka had finally looked away from her. He had the kind of gaze that made her feel as if he could see right through her, past her clothes and bandages and right to her scars and wounds. The discomfort was overwhelming and terrifying and sometimes she wondered if he really could see right into her soul.

"She's my tutor?" Momo looked disgruntled upon seeing the tiny slip of a girl clutching Ryoma's hand, "She's like, five."

"She's 12," Ryoma stated in his usual cold tone, "But even when she was five she was smarter than you are now."

"No need to be mean," The upperclassmen huffed, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back.

"Both of you go change," Tezuka interrupted, "Echizen, 10 laps for being late. Momoshiro, respect your tutor."

Ryoma squeezed Kiku's hand gently before he headed into the locker room with Momoshiro muttering at his heels. Once again, Kiku found herself the center of Tezuka's attention as he stared her down. For several seconds she considered the probability of the ground opening up and swallowing her until he looked away suddenly again, turning his attention back to the tennis players warming up.

"Momoshiro will return momentarily. Please help him raise his grade in history."

The captain walked off, leaving Kiku standing nervously in front of the locker rooms. The amount of people milling around was frightening to her. She found herself having to forcefully prevent herself from biting her nails as she garnered several stares, her own eyes coming to rest on her feet as she curled her shoulders down.

"Hey there, are you lost?" Kiku looked up to see the vibrant red haired upperclassmen, Kikumaru Eiji, smiling down at her. It widened when he saw her face, "Ah! You're o'chibi's girlfriend! Do you need me to find him for you?"

She swallowed a couple of times to find her voice and shook her head, "N-no, Kiku-chan is w-waiting for senpai. K-Kiku-chan is tutoring M-Momoshiro-senpai."

"Ah, you're tutoring an upperclassman? You must be pretty smart," He grinned, crouching down to look her in the face even when she refused to look up at him.

"H-Hai, senpai."

"Ahh, you're a cutie," Eiji tapped her forehead gently with his finger tips, making her squeak and look up, "Kiku-chan, huh?"

"Kikumaru, 10 laps for getting distracted."

An exclamation of despair escaped the redhead's lips and he whined slightly, "Nyaaah, not fair buchou. Buh-bye, Kiku-chan."

The upperclassmen darted off a moment later and Kiku found herself gulping again, trying to find her mental footing to avoid a panic attack. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Kiku had yet to truly decide, Momoshiro-senpai returned shortly after and led her to a bench off the side of the courts. He was tense and obviously unhappy, which made her even more nervous. Sometimes, the students she was assigned to tutor weren't very pleased with the fact they had to be tutored. Even less so by the fact she was only a freshmen. Occasionally, even because she was a girl.

Momoshiro didn't speak until they'd both sat on the bench and Kiku was beginning to feel her chest tighten around her heart in near panic.

"I failed my last history test."

Kiku looked up at him from under her pale eyelashes, keeping her head tilted down, "A-ah, okay. D-Does Momoshiro-senpai k-know w-why?"

The look he trained on her made her face darken in shame and fear, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"E-Eh, senpai, K-Kiku-chan just means w-was it b-because you didn't study w-well? O-o-or muh-maybe there w-was too much ma-material? D-Does suh-senp-pai have trouble m-memorizing?"

Momoshiro's dark look seemed to soften slightly and he sighed, leaning back against the building behind the bench they sat on, "I don't study well, but history is so lame anyway. I can't remember a whole bunch of dates and names that don't matter to me."

It was an explanation so close to ones Ryoma had given her that she almost wondered if the pair rehearsed it. They were very similar, she decided quickly. Obsessed with tennis but wholly uninterested in school. Kiku reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook and a pen.

"Duh-does Momoshiro-senpai h-have the textb-book?" She asked quietly, trying not to swing her feet since they didn't reach the ground.

"Yeah, here," He reached into his own bag and retrieved a paperback textbook, "The next section that will be tested is six through ten, that's what my teacher told me to focus on."

Kiku hummed and nodded slightly, opening her notebook and the textbook to chapter six and settling them over her knees, "M-Momoshiro-senpai's sen-sensei told Kiku-chan we huh-have six wu-week to prepare b-before the next t-test. K-Kiku-chan thinks we shuh-should do one chuh-chapter a week an-and then review all of them in the luh-last."

For the next hour or so, Kiku took Momoshiro over chapter six and set out a study plan for him, making several worksheets and practice quizzes.

"Ryo-kun wuh-will take the practice quizzes f-from you and buh-bring them to me, so you duh-don't have to bother f-finding me…"

"Ryoma's your boyfriend then?" Momoshiro questioned, suddenly ducking down to look her in the eye.

He'd been curious since Ryoma had taken a jab at him for insulting Kiku's size. Ryoma didn't usually go out of his way for anyone, even the freshmen trio or Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter who was pretty much infatuated with him. The only explanation Momo could think of as to why he'd be willing to run around for Kiku would be if they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Suddenly, as if his words had flipped a switch, Kiku's face turned bright red and subsequently, a tennis ball slammed into Momo's head.

Momo fell off the bench with a shout of surprise and pain, causing Kiku to squeak in alarm and lean back. Both of their eyes went to Ryoma, who was glaring at Momo as he walked to the locker room. The way Kiku's face had lit up with embarrassment had set off the protective alarms in his head. He didn't address the pair at all, but the hidden threat was clear: don't make Kiku uncomfortable.

"A-ahh… No, Momoshiro-s-senpai, Ryo-kun is Kiku-chan's friend is a-all."

"That was a hard hit from so far away," Momo grumbled as he got off the ground and sat back down on the bench, "Are you sure he doesn't think he's your boyfriend? He's really protective."

"Buh-best friend," Kiku corrected nervously, wringing her hands in her lap.

"Waahh," Kikumaru-senpai suddenly appeared, sitting on the bench behind Kiku and settling his chest against her back, his chin coming to rest on the top of her head, "Kiku-chan is so precious. If she's not o'chibi's girlfriend she should be mine."

Kiku tensed thoroughly as the upperclassmen's chest brushed against the bandage on her shoulder, "K-K-Kikumaru-suh-senpa-ai..."

"Kiku-chan," Ryoma walked up to the bench, already changed, and held a hand out, waiting for her to put her own in his, "Let's go."

"Hey, o'chibi, is Kiku-chan your girlfriend?"

Ryoma ignored him, his olive gaze still locked on Kiku's own. He only regarded his teammates when she took his hand, allowing him to pull her off the bench to stand in front of him.

"Kiku doesn't like being touched," It was directed at Kikumaru, who had a tendency to cuddle up to just about anyone he chose.

"Neh, you didn't answer my question," the redhead whined, watching as Kiku collected her books and deposited them into her bag before allowing Ryoma to take it from her.

And Ryoma most likely wouldn't, Kiku thought absently at he took her hand and began walking towards the school gates. She quickly huddled close to his back, murmuring a goodbye to her senpais as Ryoma muttered something along the lines of a cheers. The freshman trio trailed along near them, Sakuno and Tomoka nearby.

As they walked off, Oishi and Inui joined Kikumaru and Momo near the bench, watching as the group of 1st years walked home.

"Neh, Kiku-chan's kinda weird," Kikumaru observed, "Well, _really _weird."

"Ryoma's weird around her," Momo added, purple eyes locked on the sight of their clasped hands.

Oishi hummed slightly in agreement but Inui's glasses flashed, catching all of their attentions, "Ii, data…"

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A/N: Writing stutters is difficult and time consuming, luckily Kiku only stutters when nervous (aka around anyone except the Echizen family). Did it seem realistic to y'all? If any of you actually have a stutter and would like to let me know what you think or if I butchered it I would be grateful.

Also, 27 people followed this story, 24 favourited it and 4 people reviewed. Which was a massive, _massive_ bummer for me. Incredibly frustratingly, actually. Do y'all think you could possibly, maybe consider leaving me some reviews? What you liked, didn't like? Questions? Errors? **Please guys, lack of feedback kills my motivation.**

**TenshiAme: **First of all, thanks for leaving a review. I just wanted to really quickly explain that her talking in third person is an important part of the plot and subsequent development so hopefully you can stick it out even though it's not your favourite. I promise, there's a reason for it!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Prince of Tennis.

Quick A/N: Takes place during episode 10.

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The week passed rather uneventfully for Kiku. She went through her days in classes and tutoring and went home with Ryoma afterwards. The Echizen's managed to keep her at their house for a total of three days, but on Thursday she ventured home to make sure her father hadn't died of alcohol poisoning. She received a hairline fracture in her wrist and a bruised cheek for her efforts, but luckily both injuries were easy to hide. The fracture would heal itself without much more than a bit of bruising and pain and no one would notice so long as she didn't show it off. The bruise on her cheek was easily covered with makeup and ice kept the swelling to an almost nonexistent minimum. She was sure Ryoma wouldn't have noticed either if she hadn't winced when he took her hand in the morning.

By Saturday morning she found herself once again in the Echizen household, sitting next to Ryoma while they ate breakfast. Nanjiro-san was hardly awake while Nanako and Rinko talked about the things they needed to do around the house that day.

"We're going to a tennis club today," Ryoma told Kiku quietly as they ate, pretending not to see the unhappy look on her face.

"Ryo-kun, Kiku-chan's wrist still hurts. Kiku-chan will stay home today."

Nanjiro stood up upon hearing this, yawning and stretching his arms over his head, "Kiku-chan will stay and help me around the temple. Right Kiku-chan?"

"Hai, Nanjiro-san," Kiku nodded as the older man picked up his plate and put it into the sink.

Ryoma looked displeased, opening his mouth to comment and likely attempt to talk her into coming with him when Nanjiro walked behind the pair, hefting Kiku up with one arm around her ribs and continuing out of the kitchen. She stared forlornly at the half full cup of tea that she was leaving behind but didn't bother to whine over the situation since Nanjiro wouldn't go back for it anyway.

"See yah later kid," The man waved over his shoulder carelessly while toting the small girl down the hall.

"Be safe Ryo-kun," Kiku called as she was carted off down the hall, unable to see the disgruntled look on the youngest Echizen's face.

"Where's your book bag Kiku-chan?" He asked as he picked up a magazine from a side table in the family room, knowing she would want something to do while they laid around the temple.

"Ryo-kun's room."

Nanjiro let out a long suffering sigh, completely fake, as he changed trajectory towards his son's room, raising his voice as he spoke so everyone in the kitchen could hear him, "I wish he didn't insist on you sleeping in his room, Kiku-chan, it's not proper. You'll have to marry him at this rate!"

Kiku giggled at the sound of Ryoma's grunt of disdain and Nanako and Rinko's snickers. Nanjiro constantly picked at the young ones' relationship, telling Kiku that she could do so much better than his stupid son. Truthfully though Nanjiro just didn't want them to get together in case Kiku decided she wanted out of her current home and they were able to foster or adopt her. Case workers were always hesitant when it came to placing teenagers in the homes of their significant others. Despite this he also didn't want Kiku to fall in love with anyone who wasn't his son.

"I'm so conflicted," Nanjiro complained out loud, drawing a look of confusion from Kiku that he pretended to ignore.

At the door to Ryoma's room he set her down and let her run inside to retrieve her bag and put on shoes over her knee high socks, motioning for her to climb up on his back when she was finished. Most of the time, Kiku had difficulties seeing Nanjiro as a father figure. He certainly didn't often act like one. Usually he was more of an immature older brother or an odd uncle that liked to see how far he could tease her. Regardless Kiku held on to his neck as he toted her outside towards the temple bell where they would like end up lying about until lunch time.

"How's class?" Nanjiro questioned, and although Kiku wasn't sure he actually cared, she regaled him with the occurrences of her school week.

Mostly, she knew, she provided Nanjiro with some sound while he flipped through his picture mags. She leaned against his stomach while he laid back on his side, leaning on one arm. It was the position they spent most of their time in when Nanjiro took over keeping her company, both reading while he occasionally rang the bell. While not necessarily comfortable, Nanjiro-san was built like a rock, leaning against him was sturdy and Kiku still fell asleep on occasion. She knew that in her oversized hand me down sweater, and comfortable shorts, she'd be asleep within twenty minutes of settling down.

"Tutoring going well?" He prompted when she trailed off.

Once again, Kiku spoke while he flipped through his magazine, narrating her tutoring sessions. She mostly spoke about Momoshiro-senpai, since he was a new addition. This time, Nanjiro actually participated in the conversation past bringing up the subject; he liked to know about the people she tutored considering she spent so much time around them.

"Boys are always dumber than girls," He complained, "That's why you have to tutor so many. This Momoshiro kid, how dumb is he?"

"Momoshiro-senpai isn't dumb, he just doesn't apply himself in history," Kiku corrected diplomatically, "He does well in all of his other courses."

"Sounds suspicious," Nanjiro muttered lowly, "Did he request you as his tutor?"

"Kiku-chan doesn't think so," she paused for a moment in thought, "Kiku doesn't think it's possible for students to request a specific tutor."

She couldn't help but smile at the gruff 'good' he muttered a few moments later, holding in a giggle. For whatever reason, Nanjiro-san had taken to regaling Kiku of the horrors of boys and dating. The subject came up every few weeks for whatever reason and while she listened diligently, most of the time she disregarded everything he said once he'd finished.

They pair lapsed into silence upon the end of the discussion and Kiku fell asleep a few minutes later against Nanjiro's stomach, snoring softly and clutching her wrist against her chest subconsciously. Every once in a while, he had to reach down and push her hair away from where it was tickling his chest.

"Hmmm," He hummed to himself absently, "Needs a haircut."

The passage of time was lost on the pair until Nanako came sauntering up to the steps just before noon, smiling slightly at the sleeping Kiku before rolling her eyes at her perverted uncle. The only part of the conversation she heard as she came out of her sleep was the black haired girl telling her uncle that if he didn't get Ryoma's lunch to him before noon, all of Nanjiro's precious magazines would be in the trash.

"Kiku-chan will take it," she volunteered sleepily.

The man seemed to waver for a moment, his laziness fighting with his desire to keep Kiku at home. After a moment he seemed to come to a conclusion, snatching the bento and leaving both females behind as he shouted about Kiku staying put and Rinko throwing away his magazines. For a moment, they stared after him, the cloud of dust he left behind obscuring their vision.

"Ah, well then," Nanako smiled slightly, "Kiku-chan, I saw a new braid in my magazine today, would you let me try it on you?"

"Of course Nanako-san," the smaller girl smiled, standing from where she'd been laying on the ground and stretching her arms up over her head and rising up on her toes.

Nanako barely contained her squeal of joy over Kiku's ridiculously adorable movements. Although Ryoma was cute, Kiku was Nanako's little doll. The tiny first year didn't mind being dressed up or letting people play with her hair. Well, she didn't mind Nanako doing so. The oversized purple sweater she wore that day was actually a hand me down from Nanako's wardrobe, along with most of Kiku's other casual clothes.

The pair settled onto the deck where Rinko was doing laundry, Kiku with a text book in her lap— high school level microbiology— while Nanako was armed with several combs and ponytail holders. Nanako sat with Kiku between her legs, gently sweeping the widest toothed comb through her curls several times before getting to work on the intricate braid she'd seen in the newest issue of her magazine.

Several hours later, Ryoma had returned where Nanjiro had not, reporting that he had received no bento and _that girl_ had snatched the one she offered him away before he could eat it. Kiku was able to infer that he was speaking of Ryuzaki Sakuno and had forgotten her name, which wasn't exactly unusual. Sometimes she was pretty sure Ryoma forgot her name, and she was his best friend. After dinner and the dishes and listening to Nanjiro get thoroughly berated upon his eventual return home, Ryoma and Kiku found themselves on the tennis courts in Ryoma's back yard.

"Use your other hand, Kiku-chan," He instructed upon seeing her wince at the use of her wrist.

"Kiku-chan isn't ambidextrous like Ryo-kun," She frowned, looking at the racket in her right hand.

"You need to be," Nanjiro stated from where he was lying on a bench beside the courts.

"Kiku-chan doesn't play tennis against anyone but Ryo-kun," Kiku stated stubbornly, "Kiku-chan doesn't need to be able to play with both hands."

Nanjiro snorted, "The kid has to stop going easy on you at some point."

A startled look crossed her features and her head snapped to Ryoma who sighed and shook his head, "Don't look so scared, now, switch hands."

Kiku tried not to pout as she did as instructed, holding the tennis racket awkwardly in her left hand. It felt off, more so than usual. While not terrible, Kiku was not proficient at tennis either. Mostly she only played when Ryoma wanted to spend time with her without his mother or Nanako stealing her away. He didn't expect her to play well and always gave her shots easy to return.

Ryoma served the ball carefully, sending it to her right side so she could hit it with a backhand which she was best at. Playing Kiku gave him practice in accuracy and control and since he'd begun playing with her he noticed an improvement in his tennis. While there was no challenge in facing her in an actual game, he found going through the motions enjoyable.

"Ryo-kun, Kiku-chan can't make her arm move properly," she frowned again as she missed the ball completely.

"You're just not used to playing left handed, try again," Ryoma hit another easy ball towards her.

Adaptable as always, Kiku managed to at least hit the ball that time although it went into the net instead of Ryoma's court. Their practice continued like that, Ryoma only serving to her right while she attempted to get a handle on playing left-handed. Nanjiro watched with one eye while reading a magazine, occasionally offering suggestions or jeers as per usual.

"Kiku, relax," He ordered after she hit the net several times in a row and both Echizen's were able to see the frustration setting in on her features, "Kid, try hitting it to her right."

"Her backhand is better than her forehand," Ryoma argued.

"Her right-handed backhand is better, stupid," Nanjiro rolled his eyes, "Her left-handed forehand might be better."

Ryoma was reluctant to follow his annoying father's advice, but the upset look on Kiku's face was enough for him to give it a chance. As much as he wanted her to get better at his favourite sport, he didn't want to make her distraught enough to give up.

"Forehand, Kiku-chan, remember your stance," He told her grudgingly, motioning to her left side with his racket and waiting to receive her understanding nod before serving.

Kiku nodded, similarly less than happy at the suggestion, and made sure to adjust her form. Her lack of athletic ability had never caused her grief before meeting Ryoma and while she absolutely adored her best friend, probably even had a slight complex, his desire for her to play tennis was frustrating to her. It turned out to be one of the few things she couldn't become easily proficient at. Art? Fine. Cooking? Easy. Advanced organic chemistry? Entertaining. But tennis was literally and figuratively kicking her butt.

"Just focus, Kiku-chan," Ryoma coached as he tossed the ball into the air.

Kiku's left arm trembled weakly as she caught the ball on her racket, pushing forward with a complete lack of aim in attempt to hurtle the ball over the net. Somehow, miraculously, the ball managed to sail into Ryoma's court and bounce. Instead of hitting it back, Ryoma caught it on his racket; she put so much effort into returning that one ball, he didn't want to overwhelm her when she'd finally succeeded.

"Soon, you'll be able to return left-handed as well as you do right-handed," He stated, sounding much more certain of the fact than Kiku believed he ought to.

"Kiku-chan can barely return right-handed, Ryo-kun," She replied blandly.

Ryoma gave her a derisive look that clearly read _'don't put yourself down'_ to which Kiku simply stared at him for. The exchange lasted several seconds, until Nanjiro sighed loudly in annoyance and rolled off the bench which drew both of their attentions.

"It's getting late. Don't children have to sleep regularly or something?" He questioned, yawning carelessly and putting his hands behind his head as he walked off, "Go to bed."

"Nanjiro-san… it's only seven o'clock."

The exasperated sigh that came from the ex-pro tennis player was nearly enough to make Ryoma twitch in annoyance, "Kids these days, never listen to their elders."

"Maybe if they acted like adults we would," He muttered before walking around the net to take Kiku's racket, "I need help in math."

"But Ryo-kun, we studied yesterday."

Ryoma didn't seem to notice that his eyes gave off the same level of exasperation with her behavior that Nanjiro had just exhibited. Instead of verbally whining about how Kiku never listened to him without questioning his orders, he took her left hand and led her back into the house silently.

Neither Echizen noticed the self-satisfied smile on Kiku's face. They were far more similar than either wished to admit.

* * *

**A/N:** Character interaction chapter, slight eludes to plot continuation but honestly it's just pleasant. So originally my plan was to put out chapter every other Saturday but finals season kinda put a damper on that. I've finally decompressed though and I'll start putting out chapters regularly again. I contemplated waiting until Saturday but I figured y'all had probably waited long enough. There were a bunch of reviews on the last chapter and y'all have no idea how ridiculously happy that made me! **Hardcore appreciate to everyone who reviewed, please keep it up!** There are just a few I need to reply to real quick;

ash88: Current plan is that, yes, at some point both Rikkaida and Hyoutei will be in the story.

puja314: Excuse me for a moment while I silently panic that you think Kiku is a lot like Sakuno. Does anyone else think so? _Do I need to hardcore revise some of her actions? **How do I fix this atrocity? **__  
_

Kyprioth: I'm so glad you think the injuries are better to scale so far! I'm trying to focus on things easily hide-able, bruises and small burns and hairline fractures and the like. Lots of research is going into this new version, haha.


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